In a bold move towards fully reusable spacecraft, SpaceX is planning to take its Starship catch capabilities to new heights. CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Tuesday that the company aims to catch both the first-stage booster and the upper stage of Starship in future launches.
This announcement comes on the heels of SpaceX’s groundbreaking achievement during Sunday’s launch. For the first time, the company successfully caught the Super Heavy booster, Starship’s first stage, using the launch tower nicknamed “Mechazilla.” This feat, accomplished on the first attempt, marks a significant milestone in SpaceX’s journey towards rapid reusability.
The ability to catch and reuse both stages would revolutionize spaceflight, potentially streamlining future launches and reducing costs. Musk shared this ambitious plan in a post on X:
Looking ahead, SpaceX is steadily progressing towards its goal of Mars missions by 2026. The company’s recent launches, particularly IFT-4 and IFT-5, have been resounding successes, meeting all objectives without major issues. The latest launch not only caught the first stage but also achieved a safe splashdown of Starship’s upper stage in the Indian Ocean.
Preparations for the next mission, IFT-6, are already underway. On September 19, SpaceX conducted a successful engine static fire test on the Flight 6 Starship, demonstrating the rapid pace of development.
As SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of space technology, the prospect of catching a 400-foot-tall rocket in its entirety represents an extraordinary challenge in modern engineering and space exploration. If successful, it would mark another crucial step towards making interplanetary travel a reality.
